​Chinese researchers have begun breeding experiments on 66,500 mini potato tubers that were sent into space aboard the Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft and remained in Earth’s orbit for more than 180 days, Xinhua reported on Monday, citing Agerpres.

After the tubers are germinated, cultivated and transplanted, the best varieties will be further selected and evaluated, said Zhang Linhai, director of Xisen Potato Industry Co.’s Technology Innovation Center. Ltd, which coordinates this project.

Space breeding means exposing potatoes or stems to cosmic radiation and microgravity from space to cause mutations in their genes to create new species or varieties with better performance, such as shorter growing periods, higher yields, and better disease resistance.

Researchers at this center in Shandu County in northern China’s Lower Mongolia Autonomous Region plan to select potato varieties with salt and alkali tolerance and high yields through experiments using advanced gene editing technology to complement traditional genetic breeding.

This approach has the potential to shorten the breeding cycle from a decade to a few years, Zhang Linhai said. This was the second time Xisen Potato Industry Co. Ltd sent tubers into space.

In June 2022, 20,000 potato tubers selected by this company were sent to the Chinese space station on the Shenzhou-14 launch vehicle, then returned to Earth 182 days later. In 1987, China sent its first batch of crop seeds, including rice and pepper, into space, marking the start of the country’s space plant breeding program.

Over the past thirty-something years, Chinese researchers have conducted more than 30 experiments in space with plant seeds, seedlings and stems, resulting in the cultivation of nearly 1,000 new varieties.